Gouffre de Padirac

The Gouffre de Padirac is a huge cave located near Gramat, in the Lot département, in France. Approximately 99m around its rim and with a diameter of approximately 35m and a depth of 103m this astonishing cave system also contains a subterranean river that has been made partly navigable by boat.

Gouffe de Padirac (picture by Luc Viatour)

Gouffre de Padirac mini guide

Guide point	Details
Department:	South West France > Midi Pyrenees > Lot >
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Édouard Alfred Martel first explored the cave in 1889, with much credit for opening the cave going to Guy de Lavaur who in 1938 penetrated 15km of passages.

The first tourists visited the cave on November 1, 1898, however the site was officially opened for tourism on April 10, 1899 by the then prime minister Georges Leygues. Today, although the cave system is made up of more than 40 km of galleries, only 2 km have been opened for tourism.

Since the 1930s, when the first lifts were installed, visitors can access the underground cave system by descending 75 m by lift or the more energetic, by stairs. The caves can then be explored on foot and by boat. You can even have your photograph taken on the boat as a souvenir.

Be warned that in the height of the season queues become quite extensive, so it is worth visiting early in the day.